Super FamiComplete #97: F-1 Grand Prix

 

Title: F-1 Grand Prix (JP)

Release Date: 04/28/1992

Developer/Publisher: Video System

Okay so the second of today's trilogy, and by far the worst. It's another Formula 1 racing game that plays exactly the same as the couple other formula 1 games that we've played thus far. 

Background

This game is a Japanese only formula 1 racing game. I've written about the sport of formula 1 before, so please look at some of the prior blog posts if you are in need of a refresher. The developer and publisher in this case is Video System Co., a developer I've never heard of before this blog post. Apparently they were founded by a programmer named Koji Furakawa (no huge credits to his name) and mainly developed arcade games and mahjong sims. Their most well-known, at least to me, title that they developed was the NEO GEO game Aero Fighters 3. Eventually they went out of business, and their whole license library was acquired by Hamster in 2018. 

Gameplay

The game is a top down racer that plays in a F-1 style: you have your practice laps in which you race alone in order to make a time that qualifies for the championship. This practice session is also your chance to learn the track to better prepare for the competitive race. You then race against other cars in the championship, and must keep your car intact through the many more laps of this race. Once you win one circuit, you then globe trot to the next location and participate in the next championship. 

The presentation on this is rather bland, and worst of all, the mode-7 vision that this operates with makes the game sickening to play. As I've gotten older and older, I am becoming super prone to motion sickness, and this game has the same effect as something like Mohawk and Headphone Jack. The screen just spins and spins rapidly and constantly, and 30 seconds in I already had a headache. After the first race I was full on nauseous. Now I want to do a good job with this blog and be thorough, but this game was literally physically unpleasant to play. Screw that. 

Overall

This game was a lackluster racing game, and one that was actually painful to play. I see now why this never graced the rest of the planet outside of Japan.